Looking back – how history will interpret the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
41

Glaswegian is definitely its own language, indeed, Nava. Papa Tigs knew a Glaswegian who’d lived in Australia for nearly 30 years, but still required a translator so anyone could understand him. He swears he is not kidding!

When we’re speaking of the odd assortment of Mumper offspring, we mustn’t forget the formerly extinct dinosaurs, either – i.e. Velociraptor. Mumpers must be breeding with all kinds of aliens to produce such odd offspring! :smiley: Although, actually, we do have one alien amongst us already, Mork. We are an interesting and mystifying bunch!

Instead of taking Eagle back, Bobbio, you should have gone back for Smoky the horse and then you could have sent a photo claiming that Smoky was running away with Eagle. Or something. Silly critters! Sounds like you had a shift and a half, though. I honestly don’t know how you do it, but I’m very glad you do. Although probably not as glad as the good folks of Mayberry.

It’s wet and rainy here, so it’s a good day to stay in and work. Which is fortunate, since that’s what I need to do. If it were a nice day, I might be tempted to, I dunno, go have a life for a few hours or something. :rolleyes:

42

Uh… eight? Mr. Lissar, Intellectual Husband, Driving Husband, Dishwashing, Lazy, Attacks Things Randomly, Exgineer (another MIA),Harmlees, and at least one I’m forgetting.

43

Can I put out a call for more recipes to be added to the recipe blog?

There was a post a while ago all about** Li-Li’s ** husbands. I found it hilarous.

44

What’s this?? Deep in the recesses of a dusty, bedraggled sofa is a key. The faded tag is barely legible - is it 304?? A puzzlement…

OK, I’m now taking up a collection. While the AC and brakes (rotors) on the kid’s Beetle were the cause for the service appointment, the general check prior to the long drive north reveals that 3 of the 4 glow plugs are dead, which explains the constantly burning Check Engine light (yes, she had it checked many times before) and the temperature sender quit sending. Bottom line - something over $1000. I was expecting half that much as our worse case. So, yeah, pull out those wallets. Heck, I’ll even earn it. For a love offering of $100 or more, I’ll immortalize you by inscribing your username onto something made of clay. Once it’s fired, it’ll last forever, or until it breaks. Either way.

<sigh> a thousand bucks… *<*FCM ** dissolves into a puddle of frustrated pathetitude>

On the other hand, the whole portfolio issue was resolved, although no one bothered to inform the almost-a-graduate. I dropped her off at the university, expecting her to be an hour or 2, but I’d barely gotten back here when she called to say all was fine. Then when we got back, she and I started packing her extra clothing and assorted miscellanea. I think I’ll attack the kitchen tonight - there’s a lot that can be boxed in there.

Also tonight, on of her friends is coming to claim the rodent. On Thursday, another friend is coming to get the furniture. If only the woman who wanted the washer-dryer would show up!!! I don’t want to drag them with us. I wanna thump the kid for not selling them months ago like I asked her. Sheesh!!!

45

I promised you a recipe, so I’ll get busy.

46

I’m tempted to go over there and speak some Southern to them. That’ll confuzzle them damn yurpans. :smiley:

Just got back from running parallel errands with Complicated Roommate. He had to go yell at the university’s cashier’s office for garinishing his state tax refund, I had to get a new game controller for the computer and use the Victoria’s Secret gift card Adopted Parents gave me for Christmas. I spent $46 on a bra. :eek: That is the most I’ve ever spent on my own undergarments. Now I’ve got $3 left on the card. That bra better last for five years to justify that much money.

Then we went to get some crickets for Hansel Chameleon and Bobbye Froggye. I got Zeldadog a new rope toy since she’s finally shredded her old one. New Toy has two pig’s hooves threaded onto it so she’ll have something to gnaw on. Right now she’s laying on her bed with the toy and growling at the cat who’s all the way across the room. I keep telling her that Petercat couldn’t care less about that toy when there are crickets to watch, but does she listen? No.

Petercat has arthritis, by the way. I need to take him to the vet to get some good drugs.

Gah, I have to go to work in fifteen minutes.

47

This one is named for my departed mother, who largely taught me to make beans this way. I have at home a low(er) carb version of these that I developed after my gastric bypass.

(Editor, include the following note when you post this one)

This version of the recipe is tailored for a large crowd; this is going from memory yesterday as I mixed them to feed 20 people at my fire station meeting. Adjust up or down for your crowd.
Helen (baked) Beans

3 large, tall cans of the cheapest pork and beans you can find
2 cups brown sugar
1 baseball sized onion, chopped
2ish cups of ketchup
½ T garlic
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 T liquid smoke
? Bacon to cover top of beans. Amount depends on the style of pan used.

1 deep 13X9 foil roasting pan fits this amount

Most measurements are not exact. When in doubt, defer to taste.

Mix first eight ingredients, put in pan, and cover with the bacon. Bake at 250-275[sup]o[/sup] for 3-4 hours. These are better down slowly than fast (1-2 hours) at 350[sup]o[/sup], but I’ll do that if I have a time constraint.

Normally, I use cut up ham instead of bacon because of the grease.

48

Thanks Bobbio! It’s been added!

49

Hi, Mumpers! Great OP, Moooommm. It’s hard enough for the rest of the Dope to figure us out, I can’t imagine some archeocyberist (thanks Rigs) centuries into the future trying to decipher us. We’re undecipherable! At least, I cain’t cypher fer shit… :smiley:
Here’s an easy-peasy recipe for McUne:

Lemon Curd Pie
(Ripped off from the Anorexic Alcoholic of The Food Network, Swampy knows who I mean!)

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 jar lemon curd
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 graham cracker crust

In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Spread lemon mixture into pie crusts. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or until set. Garnish with whipped cream.

50

Would that be Sandra Lee?

51

Oh, I had a salad dressing recipe I wanted to mention:

Capt. Cheekbones’s Scrumptious Salad

The Salad:
romaine lettuce
diced plum tomatoes
roasted pine nuts
diced yellow peppers

The Dressing:
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
crumbled feta cheese
honey dijon mustard

(Word to the wise: be careful with the dressing; add the mustard and cheese in small amounts until you get desired taste. It’s very easy to overpower the entire salad with those two flavors unless you’re careful.)

52

I just made this one up on Friday and posted this one to my own blog this morning.

Thai peanut chicken pasta

2 chicken breasts
6 oz whole grain penne
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup soy sauce (I prefer the “lite” kind.)
1/3 cup veggie oil
1 red, yellow or orange pepper (Not green! They taste different.)
Shredded carrots (I like the pre-shredded ones… so I’m lazy. Feel free to shred your own if you’re sitting around just looking for some boring, tiring task to do.), a couple handfuls
2 scallions, chopped
Snow peas or sugar snap peas, again a couple handfuls or to taste
Cilantro, chopped (optional, but I definitely recommend including it)
Peanuts for garnish and to add a nice crunch. I wouldn’t leave these out either.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water. Yes, this is important. As our Food Network friends like to point out, it’s the only chance you have to season the pasta itself. Probably a tablespoon or so of salt.

Chop the pepper, scallions, etc.

Combine the PB, soy sauce, and veggie oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. As the PB melts, stir it in all together. Add the chicken and cook for ~5 minutes or so on a side. (The PB/soy mix will dry out. That’s ok.)

When the water boils, add the pasta and stir so it doesn’t clump. Set a timer for 8 minutes.

When it’s been cooking for ~5 and the chicken’s browned on both sides, scoop about 3/4 cup or so of the pasta water (It contains lots of starch.) from the boiling pasta (carefully!) and mix it in to the chicken, PB, soy and stir to combine. See? It’s making a nice, peanut-y sauce!

Drain the pasta. (Before you do that, check the sauce… if it needs more liquid, add some more pasta water before you drain it. You can add a little more PB or soy at this point if needed.) Toss the pasta with a little olive or veggie oil.

Check the chicken to make sure it’s cooked through. If you have a probe thermometer, get it to 160. If not, just slice the chicken and see if it’s still pink in the middle. When it’s done, remove it to a plastic cutting board.

Add the carrots, peppers, peas, and scallions to the sauce. If you have other veggies that you want to toss in, that’s fine too.

Cut the chicken into strips. Add back to the veggies and sauce.

Stir in the pasta. Add the cilantro at the very last minute (so it doesn’t wilt too much). Serve it up and top with peanuts.

53

My daughter just asked for this recipe the other day, so it’s fresh in my mind. Also she said it was pretty much inhaled by her friends, so I guess it’s pretty good.

Sloppy Joes

2# ground beef, browned with
1 medium to large onion, diced

Drain off any excess grease.

1 large can of tomato sauce (24 fl oz?? I’m not sure of the size)
1 large can of tomato paste
2 ribs of celery, washed and cut up, no leaves

Put about a cup of the sauce into a blender and add the chunked up celery. Puree till no evidence of celery remains. Dump this, plus the rest of the sauce and the paste into the pan with the meat and onions and mix it up - add:

3-4 Tbsp white vinegar
3-4 Tbsp brown sugar
1-2 tsp garlic powder or equivalent minced garlic - all of this is really to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix well, and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer till it thickens or until the smell drives you wild with desire. Serve on crusty rolls or sub rolls or whatever you like. It’s best the next day and it freezes beautifully.

For those who don’t like chunks of onion, you can toss them in with the celery in the blender cycle (just don’t cook them with the beef.) I understand some folks like diced green peppers so you could add that if you’re so inclined. Me, I’m not a pepper fan.

54

Thanks everyone! I want to try to keep adding recipes to the blog. So far we have over 100 on there!

55

I’m FREEZING. And I have watched movies all morning because I felt like it. So there.

Class soon.

Here is the risotto milanese recipe, as amended from the back of the Viggo arborio rice packet:

Risotto Eleanorese

2 cups chicken broth, heated

2 Tbs butter
onion, minced
minced garlic
1 cup arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup water (maybe)
Parmesan cheese
Bacon bits–real bacon, please
pinch of saffron, toasted
parsley flakes for color

In large saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. When it foams (not like your toothpaste-wake up, people!), add the onion and garlic to taste. Saute until soft. Stir in rice and cover with butter. Add wine, and here you’re supposed to add saffron, if you’re Bill Gates and can afford saffron. Me, I just skip it. The saffron, numbnuts–no way would I skip the wine! Moving on.
Add the chicken broth slowly, stirring constantly and only adding more once it’s absorbed. Mess in the pan should be bubbling somewhat. You may need to add some water as well (I usually end up needing about 1/4 cup). All this should take you about 20-30 minutes, by which time your rice should be al dente. If you like it more dente than al, suit yourself. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and bacon. If you want to add the parsley, do so now. Serve. With what is up to you. I’ve been known to eat this right over the stove.
I do want to try different things with this basic recipe–mushrooms or bleu cheese or chicken or pork etc. Go crazy!
30 minutes and counting until class. Pork roast is in the crock pot. I cannot get warm today. Oh, and I had more weird dreams last night, but they were naughty/nice ones. I like those–so very er, relaxing… :cool:

56

Ding ding ding! We have a winnah! :smiley:

57

I can’t stand her!!! Her and Rachel Ray drive me up the wall.

58

I call Sandra Lee the bulimic alcoholic. I’m convinced she scarfs all that food down, washes down with hooch and then pukes. Or maybe it’s her “tablescapes” that make her puke. They make me wanna! I mean who would ever want to waste that much time setting a table. Some flowers, some candles, napkins, plates and dinnerware is all one needs at best. If it ain’t fancy then, one can forget the flowers and candles. Sheesh!

MCUNE I do have a couple recipes to include. I’ll dig 'em out later. Right now, it’s back to work stuff.

59

Haze, that salad sounds scrumptious! I’ll have to try it out next time we’re in a rabbity kind of mood.

Which reminds me, I have a salad of my own I’d like to contribute to the recipe blog. I call it…

That 90s Salad

4 cups baby spinach
1 sweet apple, diced (pref Royal Gala or Delicious)
1 ripe pear, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Handful of toasted sunflower seeds

Tahini Dressing
2 tbsp tahini
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together ingredients for tahini dressing until smooth.
In a large bowl, toss together spinach, apples, pears, and dried cranberries. Add dressing and toss to coat. Divide into four bowls and garnish each with an equal amount of goat cheese and sunflower seeds.

Note: If you’re feeling particularly fruity (or if you have a hot date later in the evening and can’t risk that much garlic), you could also swap out the tahini dressing for an equally appropriate raspberry vinaigrette.
…in other news, I’m incredibly pissed off right now because someone refused to answer a question on the basis that “she doesn’t do that job any more”. Well duh. There are lots of jobs that I don’t do any more either, but I’m generally happy to answer questions about them if someone asks me a simple question.

AARGH.

60

I just baked a cake. No recipe because I have no idea what the measurements are, but it has butter, oatmeal, cinnamon and brown sugar.
Why yes, my kid is sleeping right now.
Mmm, baked beans. Mr. Lissar doesn’t like them, but I loooooove them. The pie recipe looks good, too.

No one told me breastfeeding would make me so fricking hungry all the time.